


Accidentally on Purpose

by Guardian_of_Hope



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Family, Family Secrets, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, clone kids, search rescue and retrieval
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2020-04-06 09:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19060288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_of_Hope/pseuds/Guardian_of_Hope
Summary: The Accidental Kidnapping of Ezra Bridger (and the totally on purpose, absolutely was the plan all along kidnapping of Captain Rex)





	1. Just Walking Down The Street

**Author's Note:**

> At this point, do I need to explain the Search, Rescue, and Retrieval verse? This is a slightly more likely series of events for certain members of the Order in Exile.

Ezra couldn’t stop grinning; it had been a while since the Specters had had a good mission like this.  He just hoped that it wouldn’t spark another fight between Kanan and Hera about staying with the Rebellion.

“What are you thinking about?”  Rex asked as they strolled down the street.

“Just hoping Kanan and Hera don’t start fighting again,” Ezra replied with a shrug, “I mean, I get what Kanan likes about these kinds of missions, but I like the Rebellion too.  I just don’t want them to get into it again, it makes things uncomfortable.”

“I can understand that,” Rex said.

Someone crashed into Ezra, making him stumble into the nearest building while Rex yelled.  Ezra turned to find three hooded and masked figures had surrounded Rex, who had lost his blaster.  Ezra threw himself forward, crashing into the closest one and tacking them to the ground.  Ezra scrambled up, targeting a second one while Rex tangled with the third.

“Get off,” Rex growled as Ezra used one of the throws Rex had taught him to toss his opponent into the first.  Rex had gained a fourth attacker, and Ezra easily jumped on this one’s back scrambling for leverage to punch the tall idiot where it would really count.

“Oh for,” a woman said, followed by blaster shots.  Ezra arched as the stunner connected, then the world went dark.


	2. Awkward

Ezra came awake quickly, with the faint headache and the awareness that his hands were bound.  He groaned and let his head fall back because Kanan was going to freak out and Zeb was never going to let him live this down.

“The kid’s awake!”  Someone announced.

“You’ve spent way too much time with that little clique of yours, he’s two years younger than you,” someone else replied.

“That just means I know exactly how stupid he’s going to be about this,” was the retort.

Ezra blinked a few times and turned in the direction of the voices.  A human teenager was watching him, sitting on a chair that was balanced on it’s back legs, his feet sitting on the table beside him.  He wore brown pants and a bright golden yellow shirt under a red vest.  The shirt sleeves were rolled up enough for a pair of tattoos to be visible.  One of them was an animal of some sort on a red background and the other was what looked like writing that wrapped around his wrist, but it wasn’t any kind of writing Ezra had ever seen before.  He had bright green eyes and a sardonic smile and black, close cut hair that stood out at crazy angles.

The other speaker was a girl who had the pink skin of a Zeltron, with black, curly hair with pink highlights and sharp, golden eyes, dressed in fitted pants, and a low cut top.  She was sitting on the table itself, swinging her crossed ankles as she studied him.  Ezra thought that she was his age, or a little younger.

“Hi,” the boy said with a casual wave, “I’m Trick, this is Flare.  I’d apologize for you getting stunned, but it wasn’t my fault and I’m not responsible for the one who did that.”

“I apologize for it,” Flare said with a smile, “even if I’m not responsible either.”

Ezra considered them for a moment, “Well, you could always just let me go.”

“Sorry, we can’t do that yet,” Trick said.

“Where’s Rex?”  Ezra tried.

“He’s around,” Flare said.

“We’re not going to hurt him,” Trick added.

“Now why would I be concerned about that,” Ezra said, “I mean, it’s not like you attacked us on the street or anything.”  He paused, “Wait, you did. _Awkward.”_

Trick sat up, “I’m going to go check on something.”

“No you aren’t,” Flare said, “You’ve been banished, remember.  Something about airspeed?”

“That is classic comedy, the fact that none of you got it doesn’t mean it wasn’t funny,” Trick said as he slumped back in his chair, crossing his arms and pouting.

“I don’t even know what a swallow is!”  Flare said, jumping off the table, “I’ll go check on things.”  She flipped her hair over her shoulder and flounced off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flare is half Zeltron. Her dad is named Brave, he's a 425th demolitions specialist with the Original Bucket Squadron.
> 
> Trick may or may not be the guy from "Return of the Lost". It's very tempting. Also, Monty Python jokes.


	3. A Chat

Kanan was going to kill him, Rex thought as he watched two of their captors haul Ezra into the room with him.  At least Ezra didn’t look harmed, although he also looked like he was being dragged because he refused to stand up at all.

“Why is your mask off?”  His female interrogator hissed to one of Ezra’s guards.

The green eyed kid shrugged, “If we don’t want them to remember, they won’t.  I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeves.”

The woman covered her face with her hands for a moment, “I should have expected this.”

The kid struck an overly exaggerated pose, “Nobody expects the,” he paused, then held up a single finger, “Grand Inquisitor!”

“Can we shoot him, please?”  The girl holding on to Ezra asked.  She had the look of a Zeltron.

“No,” the woman said, “sadly we can’t.”

“Besides, you honestly think being faceless is going to intimidate CT-7567, Captain Rex, of the 501st, the man who kept Anakin Skywalker _and_ Ahsoka Tano alive through the Clone Wars?”  The kid said.  He turned to Rex, “Hi, I’m Trick.  That’s Flare.  I’m not responsible for her,” he pointed at the masked woman, “so I don’t know if I can apologize for her.  We need your help.”

“You’ve got an interesting way of asking,” Rex pointed out.

“Yeah,” Trick said, giving the woman a look, “that wasn’t my idea.  And I definitely didn’t shoot you either.”

“That was me,” the masked woman admitted.  She reached up and pulled off her hood and mask, revealing herself to be not much older than the so-called Trick and Flare, although she had a Kiffar’s facial marks and the eyes of a brother.

“So what exactly is going on,” Rex said finally.

“My name is Foxxe,” the Kiffar said as she settled on the chair across from Rex.  She touched her cheek, “My mother’s name is Krysta Val, she was a Major in the GAR and CMO on board the _Liberator II_ under General Plo and Commander Wolffe for a few years before she got pregnant with me.”

“All right,” Rex said quietly.

“My buir is Commander Wolffe,” Foxxe continued, “and I’ve heard that if anyone knew where he was, it was you.”  She leaned forward, “I just want to find my dad, Captain.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

Foxxe sat back, “Well, a blood test will prove I’m a vod’ade, and that my mother is Krysta Val, who’s position with the _Liberator II_ and the 124th was pretty well documented.  So, I guess the only other thing I can offer up in my defense is based on the _tra’ba’vodue_ , Uncle Bexar, Uncle Boost, and Uncle Sinker, and that’s the fact that there wasn’t any member of the 124th who’d ever think of Mom as anything other than the Major-Doctor, and if any of them so much as breathed a word about her being attractive, well buir, or Commander Wolffe, would have shot them.”

“So why don’t you know where Wolffe is?”  Ezra demanded.

Foxxe glanced at him and shrugged, “The current preferred theory is that he’s stupid enough to believe that _ba’buir_ was dumb enough to get in his starship and openly fly away from the base on Cato Neimoidia when it was clear that something was wrong with his people and therefore get himself killed.”  Foxxe waved her hand, “That means that he’s being the worst kind of _di’kut_ and has chosen to punish himself by abandoning his _aliit,_ when if he’d stuck around long enough, he’d know the truth.”

Rex would be the first to admit that he wasn’t the intellectual that General Kenobi had been or the impulsive, instinctive genius that General Skywalker had always been, but he wasn’t dumb.  While he wasn’t sure he quite got who the star uncles were, he did know, had been drunk with Wolffe just enough times, that Plo Koon had been killed trying to flee Cato Neimoidia in his starship.  Or if Foxxe was right, Plo Koon survived.

“Who,” he said finally, carefully, “is your grandfather?”

Foxxe smirked, victory in her eyes, “The only person I would ever call _ba’buir_ is Jedi Master Plo Koon.”

Rex nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ba'buir- grandfather  
> ba'vodu- uncle  
> tra'ba'vodue- star uncles (tra means space/starfield, refers to the Star Squad: Comet (who is canon) and OCs Nebula, Asteroid, Meteor, Quasar, and Lodestar)  
> di'kut- idiot  
> aliit- family  
> vod'ade- Children of the Brothers aka the Clone!Kids (adopted or born)


	4. Checkers

Ezra glanced between Rex and their kidnappers.  Once Foxxe had stated her piece, the atmosphere in the room had changed.  While they still weren’t allowed to leave, Trick had produced a black and white game board and started setting up red and black disks on it.

“What’s that?”  Ezra asked.

“It’s called checkers,” Trick replied, “it’s something I picked up a while ago.  Want to learn?”

Ezra considered a moment then nodded, “Sure.”

“It’s pretty simple,” Trick said, “the whole goal is to move your pieces across the board.  You can only move them diagonally, and you can only move them forward.  You can jump one of your opponent’s pieces if the space on the other side is clear.  Once you’ve reached the far edge of the board, you get a second piece on top of the first, making it a ‘king’.  You can move that one forward and back, but only diagonal, and if there’s more than one piece positioned so you can jump them, that’s also allowed.”

“Okay,” Ezra nodded to himself, it seemed easy enough to follow.

“I’d offer up a game of chess if it seems to easy,” Trick said, “but I’m still not sure I get the rules and one of my best friends is a master player.”  He tilted his head a moment and then gestured, “Red goes first.”

“Once, diagonal,” Ezra said, to ensure that he understood even as he slid a chip forward.

Trick considered the board a moment, then slid his chip up.  “It’s kind of crazy.”

“What is?”  Ezra asked as he shifted another chip.

“We went through all of this so that Foxxe could talk to Rex,” Trick said.  “Of course, it’s not the craziest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Why did you attack us?”  Ezra asked.

“Well, Foxxe says it’s plausible deniability on your part.  Flare and Style liked the chance to play around with disguises,” Trick shrugged, then jumped three of Ezra’s pieces with a wicked grin.

“What did you think?”  Ezra pressed.

Trick looked up at him, green eyes narrowing slightly, “I was drunk and it sounded hilarious.”

“Really,” Ezra said.

“It’s still not the craziest idea I’d ever had,” Trick said, “sadly, I can’t talk about them because of op-sec, but still,” he tapped the board, “this doesn’t even make my top ten.”

Ezra shook his head slightly and moved a chip.

“They’ll be done soon,” Trick offered as he claimed three more of Ezra’s pieces.  “Rex caved as soon as Foxxe told him about Master Plo.”

“Who is Master Plo?”  Ezra asked.

Trick glanced up, startled, then his eyes narrowed slightly, “You’re a Jedi Padawan.”

“Yeah,” Ezra said slowly.

“Didn’t your master tell you about the Order?”

“Some, but after Master Luminara,” Ezra trailed off, forcing back a shudder at the memory of his first encounter with an Inquisitor.

“Heard about that,” Trick said, “well, Master Plo was on the Council before the Purge and one of the best.  He’s a Kel Dor and he was the General for the 104th and 124th during the war with Commander Wolffe.  They survived the Malevolence together.”  Trick paused to make another move, claiming another king.  “The Malevolence was a capital ship that was easily as big, if not bigger than, a star destroyer, and it had a massive ion cannon, capable of taking out three or more cruisers in one shot.  It had been wiping out battle groups, no survivors, for weeks.  My buir’s first command was one of them.  He’d been part of their Padawan-Commander’s escort, so they weren’t there.  Then Master Plo and the 104th found the Malevolence in the Abregado System.  The Malevolent hit their ships and they ended up in the escape pods.  Then General Grievous unleashed a pod hunter, a pseudo-ship that destroyed pods and killed the people inside.  General Skywalker and Commander Tano went against orders to find them, but the only surviving pod was Master Plo’s, along with Commander Wolffe and Sinker and Boost.  Wolffe had trained the 104th since they were all cadets before the war, his whole batch was on those ships except for his tubemate, Bexar.  Sinker told me that Master Plo kept Commander Wolffe sane after that, and it wasn’t easy.”

“Wow,” Ezra said.

“Yeah, Uncle Bexar was with a different battalion, but Master Plo got him transferred to the 124th for Commander Wolffe, and between Bexar, Boost, and Sinker, Wolffe ended up adopting one of the new squadrons, called Star Squad and Lieutenant Stitch, he’s one of the two medics that Commander Wolffe ever trusted.”  Trick grinned a bit, “Of course, this is Commander Wolffe, his idea of adopting people tends towards beating someone up and getting snarked at, or so I’ve been told.”

“I’d say that sounds accurate,” Rex cut in, “I remember when General Plo Koon and General Skywalker reunited Wolffe and Bexar.”

“Bexar taunted him and got punched for his troubles,” Trick said with a laugh.

Rex also laughed, although Ezra wasn’t sure why it was funny.

“Foxxe here says you’re Saneone’s kid,” Rex said.

“Adopted, but yeah,” Trick said as he claimed Ezra’s last chip.  “My parents died when I was a baby and he found me.”  He grinned at Rex, “But my birth father and his best friends were pranksters of the same caliber as Buir’s batch, so it’s as much nature as it is nurture.”

“Right,” Rex said, “Ezra, I’m taking Foxxe and Glider out to Joopa Base.  Will you let the Ghost know?”

“I could come with you,” Ezra offered, “I mean, they already captured me.”

“I’d rather you make sure they didn’t come looking for me,” Rex said, looking a bit uneasy.

“It’s because of us,” Foxxe said, “while we respect the Rebellion and help out when we can, our people aren’t ready to be a part of the Rebellion.  It’s not safe for either of us.”  She glanced off to one side, where Flare was studying a datapad.  After a moment, Flare glanced up and nodded and Foxxe turned back to Ezra, “We’re Jedi, and there are other Jedi survivors among our people.  The Empire as an idea that we exist, but they don’t know where an they don’t have an accurate report of who all is there.  Contacting Rex and finding my father is a big risk, but it’s one we need to take.”

“I’m a Jedi,” Ezra pointed out.

“Right,” Foxxe said, “and you know how quick the Empire is to jump from cuffs to torture with Jedi.  We heard about Mustafar.”

Ezra cleared his throat to cover up the painful thump in his chest at the memory.

“I’ll come with you,” Trick said, “I’ll stand hostage for Rex’s safe return.”

Ezra blinked while Foxxe began to protest.

“No,” Trick told Foxxe, “out of all of us, I can get out of there if things go badly without a trace and you know it.  Besides,” he glanced at Ezra, “you’re a Padawan, that means you’ve got a teacher.  I can’t exactly hand over hyperspace coordinates to either of you, but if I judge you both as unlikely to put our people at risk, I can give you the path.”

“That’s a good idea,” Rex said.

Ezra considered for a moment, the specter of Kanan’s willingness to dump him on Luminara last year making him hesitate.

“Ezra?”  Trick said.

“I,” Ezra hesitated.

“Give us a minute, Foxxe,” Trick said instantly.

“Trick,” Foxxe began.

“I said give us a minute, _Mysta,”_ Trick said in a quiet, firm, commanding voice.  Unlike Foxxe’s casual command, this was an assumption of power that made Ezra want to obey even if it wasn’t directed at him.

“All right,” Foxxe said, “Flare, with me.  Captain?”

“Right behind you,” Rex replied.

With the room cleared, Trick sat down, “So, what’s going on?”

Ezra hesitated a long moment before he found himself blurting out about Luminara, Stygeon Prime, and Kanan’s assertion that Luminara was a good teacher for him.  He also related the half-conversation that had followed.

Trick studied him for a very long moment, his green eyes dark with thought.  “Well, first of all, unless the Masters thought Kanan’s teaching was actually harmful to you or if you both wanted to dissolve the bond, it wouldn’t happen.  Kanan offered to teach you and you accepted, it’s a verbal contract of apprenticeship that can’t be handed off on a whim.  What would happen instead is that Kanan would be supported in teaching you.  I was my Master’s first Padawan too, when he had doubts, they gave him a mentor to help, someone he could ask questions of and get help when he needed it.  Now, what may also happen is that you’ll learn from another Master _because_ Kanan doesn’t know a technique or skill set.  Like Master Micah uses a bastardized Ataru lightsaber form because he’s a S’kytri, with the wings?  I learned saber forms from Master Quin and Master Casper because I can’t fly.”

“But Kanan isn’t a knight,” Ezra said.

“Yeah he is,” Trick said, “killing a dark Jedi, and the Grand Inquisitor was definitely that, it’s basically a Knight’s Trial.  Now, that doesn’t mean he’s done learning, but he’s definitely a knight.”

Looking at Trick, Ezra realized that if he said no to this, Trick wouldn’t follow him.  He’d respect Ezra’s choice.  For all that he’d gone along with attacking Ezra and Rex, and his casual attitude towards Foxxe, he was serious about this.

“Okay,” Ezra said, “yeah, I’ll take you to the Ghost.”

Trick grinned, “Then let’s get out of here.  Foxxe and Glider will take care of Rex.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter really got away from me. It does references the Rebels season one episode "Rise of the Old Masters". And yes, I do honestly believe that Ezra had a lot of self-doubt relating to that episode and Kanan's assertion that he was going to let Luminara be his master. (Self-doubt, abandonment issues out the wazoo, all that fun stuff.)  
> I apologize that this one isn't as fluffy as the previous chapters.


	5. Kanan's Sight

Kanan paced the area in front of the Ghost’s ramp.  Ezra and Rex were late.

He could hear Zeb and Sabine putting away the stolen supplies they’d gotten, and he knew that Hera and Chopper were up in the cockpit, standing by for a quick departure if necessary.

“Where is he?”  Kanan growled, wishing he had an idea of where to go looking for his Padawan.  It was hard for him, sometimes, to let Ezra go alone on a mission, his instinct was to protect the boy.  He’d heard some stories about how Masters reacted to their Padawan, especially when said Padawan was in trouble, but had always dismissed it as exaggerations.

He hadn’t even formally offered Ezra an apprenticeship before that overprotective instinct had kicked in.

“It’s just up here.”

Kanan turned, recognizing Ezra’s voice and realizing that he wasn’t alone.

“Zeb,” he called quietly over his shoulder.

“Yeah Kanan?”  Zeb said, coming onto the ramp.

Ezra came around the corner of the building that marked the edge of the Ghost’s landing space, accompanied by a tall, dark haired teen.

There was no sign of Rex.

“Ezra,” Kanan said, striding forward.  Behind him, he heard Zeb free his bo-rifle.

“Kanan,” Ezra said, stopping.  “I can explain.”

“Start talking,” Kanan said.

“This is Trick,” Ezra said, “he’s a Jedi.”

Kanan glanced at the teen, taking in his bright green eyes, short cut hair and dark skin, “Okay.”

“He’s here as a hostage,” Ezra continued.

“Maybe I should explain,” Trick said with a grin and a glance to Ezra.

“Please,” Ezra said after a moment.

“As Ezra said, I am a Jedi,” Trick said, “I’m part of a group that stands against the Empire, specifically my team does intelligence work, spying and whatnot from Imperial bases.  My team leader is named Foxxe, she’s what we call vod’ade, or children of the brothers, it means her father was a clone.  To be specific, her father is Commander Wolffe, formerly of the 104th and 124th.  For Foxxe and her mother, Commander Wolffe has been missing since the Clone Wars ended.  We have some allies in certain Rebel cells, mostly to keep tabs on Inquisitors, Vader, Force Sensitive younglings, and any clones who are still Imperial.  They passed on that Captain Rex had been brought into the Rebellion and when Foxxe found out about it, she decided that she needed to talk to him.  Captain Rex is currently taking Foxxe and our team pilot, Glider, to, uh, Joopa Base?”

Ezra nodded when Trick looked at him.

“I offered to come here with Ezra to stand as hostage for our good intentions,” Trick continued.  He paused, “And maybe to tell you how to find us later on.”

“Find you?”  Kanan said.

“Is this a conversation you really want to have in earshot of any passerby?”  Trick asked, “Because I’d really rather not.”

Ezra hurried up to Kanan, “It’s okay, Rex and I both got a good look.  He’s not dark.”

Kanan glanced at his Padawan, then back at the other, reaching into the Force for confirmation.  It responded instantly, albeit not in the way he expected.  Visions swarmed him, showing him glimpses of fighting, always fighting, red bladed Force wielders, including Darth Vader, losing Ahsoka, almost losing Ezra, a path of growing war that ended in fire.  As he blinked his vision clear, he felt certain in his bones that letting this teenager come onboard would change all of that, that things had a chance of being better than what could have been.

“Come on,” Kanan said, “We’ll at least hear what you have to say.  What happens afterwards.”

“Is the will of the Force,” Trick said and stepped onto the ramp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not abandoned. None of them are. I just got... distracted. Taking the time this morning to sort my WIP folder and see what I've got unsorted and decided to throw words at a few of these, at least give them a bit more depth.


	6. On the Ghost

“So you’re saying that we have to follow clues to find the Jedi?”  Hera said skeptically.

“Pretty much,” Trick agreed.  “We wanted to make sure that whoever came looking for us was invested, and not because they’re Imps.  It’s not hard, mind you, or a lot, but you interact with people who can figure out what side you’re on pretty quickly.  I know that Fulcrum knows a few of the jump off points, because that’s where the Force sensitive younglings go.”

“Like Pypey,” Ezra offered, half in question.

“From Takobo,” Trick nodded with a smile, “He’s with us, and Oora too.  They’re doing well.  Oora is home sharing with another single mom, Lani, who is fostering Alora alongside her son Gavin.”  He shrugged and shifted his weight, “Foxxe’s mom handles a lot of the pediatrics, so I tend to pick up a lot more than I normally would.”

“So you’re going to give us your clue,” Hera said, “and one ay we might come looking for you?”

“Basically,” Trick said slowly, with a nod.  “Although, you won’t get far on the path without Kanan and Ezra with you, not without a really good reason to find us.”

“You said there were surviving Jedi,” Kanan said, “like who?”

Trick bit his lip a moment, “Well, I was trained by Master Micah, he’s a S’kytri.  There’s also Master Kara Saje and Master Jaran Val, um, Master Nikolas Saje and Master Carisa Ven, although you might know her as Carsa’ven.  Most of the survivors now were Padawans then, their Masters, well,” he tilted his head slightly.  “The Grand Master of the Order says that we were lucky to find as many as we have, and we aren’t finding a tenth of the younglings that we should have.”

“Uh huh,” Kanan said, clearly unimpressed with Trick, “Who is the Grand Master?”

“I can’t tell you that,” Trick said.  “We don’t, we don’t even think of the Grand Master in enemy territory unless it’s by accident.”  He paused and spat out a word with all the emphasis of a curse.

“What?”  Ezra asked.

“I lost The Game,” Trick said.

“The what now?”  Sabine asked skeptically.

“The Game,” Trick said, “never mind.  It’s stupid, annoying, but stupid.  So, as I was saying, the first rule of the Order is that we don’t talk about the Grand Master.  The second rule of the Order is that we don’t talk about the Grand Master.”  He paused, and momentarily deflated.

“Why not?”  Ezra asked.

“Security,” Trick said, “Even the best shields can fail under enough torture.  We don’t mention the Grand Master’s identity unless we have too.  It’s like, I don’t know how to pilot a ship back home either.  I can get there, I’ve got a path, but I couldn’t give you the coordinates if I wanted too.”

“What I want to know is why Rex didn’t talk to us before he let,” Zeb announced.

“The Captain’s an adult by any species standards,” Trick said, “he’s got the right to make his own decisions.”

“Trick,” Kanan said, “let’s go have that conversation about the Order without the audience.”

Ezra kept his shoulders square, fighting the reflex to cringe at Kanan’s rather obvious _this is my last nerve_ vibe.  He also caught the quick glance Kanan gave him and nodded slightly.  As much as he wanted to listen in on this conversation, he’d back off and let them talk.  It wasn’t his place either way.


End file.
